scholarly journals Identifying Sources of Faecal Contamination in a Small Urban Stream Catchment: A Multiparametric Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liam J. Reynolds ◽  
Niamh A. Martin ◽  
Laura Sala-Comorera ◽  
Kevin Callanan ◽  
Padraig Doyle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
High Flow ◽  
Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Urban Stream ◽  
Sufficient Information ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Faecal Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Faecal Contamination ◽  
Faecal Pollution ◽  
Bathing Waters

Small urban streams discharging in the proximity of bathing waters may significantly contribute to the deterioration of water quality, yet their impact may be overlooked. This study focuses on the Elm Park stream in the city of Dublin that is subject to faecal contamination by unidentified sources. The aim of the study was to identify a minimum number of “sentinel” sampling stations in an urban catchment that would provide the maximum amount of information regarding faecal pollution in the catchment. Thus, high-resolution sampling within the catchment was carried out over the course of 1 year at 11 stations. Faecal indicator bacteria were enumerated and microbial source tracking (MST) was employed to evaluate human pollution. In addition, ammonium, total oxidised nitrogen, and phosphorus levels were monitored to determine if these correlated with faecal indicator and the HF183 MST marker. In addition, the effect of severe weather events on water quality was assessed using automated sampling at one of the identified “sentinel” stations during baseflow and high flow conditions over a 24-h period. Our results show that this urban stream is at times highly contaminated by point source faecal pollution and that human faecal pollution is pervasive in the catchment. Correlations between ammonium concentrations and faecal indicator bacteria (FIB) as well as the human MST marker were observed during the study. Cluster analysis identified four “sentinel” stations that provide sufficient information on faecal pollution in the stream, thus reducing the geographical complexity of the catchment. Furthermore, ammonium levels strongly correlated with FIB and the human HF183 MST marker under high flow conditions at key “sentinel” stations. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of pairing MST, faecal indicators, and ammonium monitoring to identify “sentinel” stations that could be more rapidly assessed using real-time ammonium readouts to assess remediation efforts.

Monitoring coastal marine waters for spore-forming bacteria of faecal and soil origin to determine point from non-point source pollution

2001 ◽  
Vol 44 (7) ◽  
pp. 181-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. Fujioka
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Point Source ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Recreational Water ◽  
Water Quality Standards ◽  
Point Source Pollution ◽  
Faecal Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Recreational Water Quality ◽  
Non Point Source Pollution

The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have established recreational water quality standards limiting the concentrations of faecal indicator bacteria (faecal coliform, E. coli, enterococci) to ensure that these waters are safe for swimming. In the application of these hygienic water quality standards, it is assumed that there are no significant environmental sources of these faecal indicator bacteria which are unrelated to direct faecal contamination. However, we previously reported that these faecal indicator bacteria are able to grow in the soil environment of humid tropical island environments such as Hawaii and Guam and are transported at high concentrations into streams and storm drains by rain. Thus, streams and storm drains in Hawaii contain consistently high concentrations of faecal indicator bacteria which routinely exceed the EPA and WHO recreational water quality standards. Since, streams and storm drains eventually flow out to coastal marine waters, we hypothesize that all the coastal beaches which receive run-off from streams and storm drains will contain elevated concentrations of faecal indicator bacteria. To test this hypothesis, we monitored the coastal waters at four beaches known to receive water from stream or storm drains for salinity, turbidity, and used the two faecal indicator bacteria (E. coli, enterococci) to establish recreational water quality standards. To determine if these coastal waters are contaminated with non-point source pollution (streams) or with point source pollution (sewage effluent), these same water samples were also assayed for spore-forming bacteria of faecal origin (Cl. perfringens) and of soil origin (Bacillus species). Using this monitoring strategy it was possible to determine when coastal marine waters were contaminated with non-point source pollution and when coastal waters were contaminated with point source pollution. The results of this study are most likely applicable to all countries in the warm and humid region of the world.

Fate and transport modelling of faecal indicator bacteria in Dublin Bay

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guanghai Gao ◽  
Aisling Corkery ◽  
John O’Sullivan ◽  
Wim Meijer ◽  
Gregory O’Hare ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Decay Rate ◽  
Coastal Waters ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Faecal Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Bathing Water ◽  
Intestinal Enterococci ◽  
The Eu

<p>Water-based microbial pathogens are often responsible for the spread of waterborne diseases in polluted coastal waters. However, difficulties in directly measuring pathogens have resulted in Faecal Indicator Bacteria (FIB) being commonly used as risk indicators in coastal and bathing water management. FIB groups, particularly those of E coli and enterococci, are easily quantified in laboratory tests and are used worldwide to assess health risks in bathing and shellfish harvesting waters.</p><p>Dublin Bay off the east coast of Ireland extends to over 300 km<sup>2</sup> and is home to species and habitats of high conservation importance. Its significant environmental, economic, cultural, recreational and tourism importance to the 300,000 people living within the Bay area and to the wider Dublin population is reflected in its 2015 Biosphere designation from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Recent years however, have seen an increase in pressures on the water quality in Dublin Bay with diffuse and point source pollution discharges from both the urban and rural catchments connected to the bay being a cause of increasing concern for the responsible authorities charged with managing the coastal waters in the context of national and European legislations, particularly the EU Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC).</p><p>Here we present the development of a 3-Dimensional numerical model for simulating the transport and fate of FIB (namely E.coli and Intestinal Enterococci) in the receiving waters of Dublin Bay. A dynamic decay rate, which included the effects of salinity, temperature and light intensity was adopted in the model, and was shown to offer advantages over the use of constant decay rate models for simulating the bacterial die-off. More importantly however, the analyses of sediment samples taken from the intertidal zone in the bay revealed relatively high faecal bacteria concentrations. The developed model in this study allows for the effects of sediment on bacteria transport processes in surface waters and in particular, the release of bacteria from sediments into the water column. The model was validated with measurements of current speed and direction at multiple points in Dublin Bay, and with faecal indicator bacteria concentrations (E.coli and Intestinal Enterococci) determined for neap and Spring tides in both wet and dry conditions. Results from model simulations agreed well with observed data. The model represents a high-level strategic tool that will be used to understand how water quality pressures in Dublin Bay may be altered under different climate change scenarios. The work presented forms part of the EU INTERREG funded Acclimatize project (www.acclimatize.eu/) that is investigating the longer-term water quality pressures in Dublin Bay that may arise in the context of a changing climate.</p>

scholarly journals Taxon-Driven Functional Shifts Associated with Storm Flow in an Urban Stream Microbial Community

mSphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adit Chaudhary ◽  
Imrose Kauser ◽  
Anirban Ray ◽  
Rachel Poretsky
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Urban Streams ◽  
Urban Stream ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Shotgun Metagenomics ◽  
Storm Flow ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Urban streams are susceptible to stormwater and sewage inputs that can impact their ecological health and water quality. Microbial communities in streams play important functional roles, and their composition and metabolic potential can help assess ecological state and water quality. Although these environments are highly heterogenous, little is known about the influence of isolated perturbations, such as those resulting from rain events on urban stream microbiota. Here, we examined the microbial community composition and diversity in an urban stream during dry and wet weather conditions with both 16S rRNA gene sequencing across multiple years and shotgun metagenomics to more deeply analyze a single storm flow event. Metagenomics was used to assess population-level dynamics as well as shifts in the microbial community taxonomic profile and functional potential before and after a substantial rainfall. The results demonstrated general trends present in the stream under storm flow versus base flow conditions and also highlighted the influence of increased effluent flow following rain in shifting the stream microbial community from abundant freshwater taxa to those more associated with urban/anthropogenic settings. Shifts in the taxonomic composition were also linked to changes in functional gene content, particularly for transmembrane transport and organic substance biosynthesis. We also observed an increase in relative abundance of genes encoding degradation of organic pollutants and antibiotic resistance after rain. Overall, this study highlighted some differences in the microbial community of an urban stream under storm flow conditions and showed the impact of a storm flow event on the microbiome from an environmental and public health perspective. IMPORTANCE Urban streams in various parts of the world are facing increased anthropogenic pressure on their water quality, and storm flow events represent one such source of complex physical, chemical, and biological perturbations. Microorganisms are important components of these streams from both ecological and public health perspectives. Analysis of the effect of perturbations on the stream microbial community can help improve current knowledge on the impact such chronic disturbances can have on these water resources. This study examines microbial community dynamics during rain-induced storm flow conditions in an urban stream of the Chicago Area Waterway System. Additionally, using shotgun metagenomics we identified significant shifts in the microbial community composition and functional gene content following a high-rainfall event, with potential environment and public health implications. Previous work in this area has focused on specific genes/organisms or has not assessed immediate storm flow impact.

Estimating river water-quality trends under different flow conditions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Zhang ◽  
James Webber ◽  
Douglas Moyer ◽  
Jeffrey Chanat
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
River Water ◽  
Total Nitrogen ◽  
Nitrogen Concentration ◽  
High Flow ◽  
River Water Quality ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Particulate Nitrogen ◽  
Water Quality Trends

<p>A number of statistical approaches have been developed to quantify the overall trend in river water quality, but most approaches are not intended for reporting separate trends for different flow conditions. We propose an approach called FN<sub>2Q</sub>, which is an extension of the flow-normalization (FN) procedure of the well-established WRTDS (“Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season”) method. The FN<sub>2Q</sub> approach provides a daily time series of low-flow and high-flow FN flux estimates that represent the lower and upper half of daily riverflow observations that occurred on each calendar day across the period of record. These daily estimates can be summarized into any time period of interest (e.g., monthly, seasonal, or annual) for quantifying trends. The proposed approach is illustrated with an application to a record of total nitrogen concentration (632 samples) collected between 1985 and 2018 from the South Fork Shenandoah River at Front Royal, Virginia (USA). Results show that the overall FN flux of total nitrogen has declined in the period of 1985–2018, which is mainly attributable to FN flux decline in the low-flow class. Furthermore, the decline in the low-flow class was highly correlated with wastewater effluent loads, indicating that the upgrades of treatment technology at wastewater treatment facilities have likely led to water-quality improvement under low-flow conditions. The high-flow FN flux showed a spike around 2007, which was likely caused by increased delivery of particulate nitrogen associated with sediment transport. The case study demonstrates the utility of the FN<sub>2Q</sub> approach toward not only characterizing the changes in river water quality but also guiding the direction of additional analysis for capturing the underlying drivers. The FN<sub>2Q</sub> approach (and the published code) can easily be applied to widely available river monitoring records to quantify water-quality trends under different flow conditions to enhance understanding of river water-quality dynamics. <span>(Journal article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143562; R code and data release: https://doi.org/10.5066/P9LBJEY1).</span></p>

scholarly journals Factors Affecting Shellfish Quality in Terms of Faecal Contamination at Blakeney Point, East Anglia, UK

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 3192
Author(s):  
Andrew S. Ball ◽  
Esmaeil Shahsavari ◽  
Leadin S. Khudur ◽  
Arturo Aburto-Medina ◽  
David J. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Quality Analysis ◽  
East Anglia ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Faecal Contamination ◽  
Faecal Pollution ◽  
Current Water ◽  
Sterol Profile

Relatively high E. coli and Faecal Streptococci (FS) numbers have been reported in the waters surrounding Blakeney Point, East Anglia, UK, an area containing significant shellfishery industries including mussels and cockles, despite the implementation of development works aimed at reducing residual contamination problems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of using bacterial analyses and sterol profiling to assess the current levels and source of faecal pollution at Blakeney Point. No evidence of significant human faecal contamination of water in and around Blakeney Point could be found using either traditional microbiological analyses or sterol profile analysis. The presence of significant quantities of sitosterol, however, suggests that faecal contamination of water from birds does occur but at the concentration detected would not affect water quality. Analysis of cockles and mussels taken from the area show that negligible levels of coprostanol were present, confirming that faecal pollution was not causing any contamination issues. Apart from cholesterol, brassicasterol, an algal biomarker, as expected was dominant in shellfish flesh. The results confirm that current water treatment processes are successful in ensuring water quality at Blakeney Point and that a combination of microbial testing with sterol profile analysis confirmed that low microbial concentrations of faecal contaminants present in and around Blakeney Point most probably originate from migratory and/or resident bird species.

Applicability of the recreational water quality standard guidelines

1995 ◽  
Vol 31 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 27-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. J. Mariño ◽  
E. Martinez-Manzanares ◽  
M. A. Moriñigo ◽  
J. J. Borrego
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Recreational Water ◽  
Microbial Water Quality ◽  
Faecal Contamination ◽  
The Public ◽  
Water Quality Standard ◽  
Bathing Water Directive ◽  
Quality Guidelines ◽  
Bathing Waters

The applicability of WHO/UNEP criteria and the EC bathing water directive as microbial water quality guidelines were examined by means of an epidemiological-microbiological study of two Mediterranean bathing beaches. Neither set of guidelines proved particularly successful for protecting the public from health hazards related to faecal contamination of bathing waters.

scholarly journals Sachet water quality and product registration: a cross-sectional study in Accra, Ghana

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 646-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Dzodzomenyo ◽  
G. Fink ◽  
W. Dotse-Gborgbortsi ◽  
N. Wardrop ◽  
G. Aryeetey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Low Income ◽  
High Water ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Brand Names ◽  
Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Faecal Indicator Bacteria ◽  
Sachet Water ◽  
National Water

Abstract The study's objectives were to assess the extent to which packaged water producers follow product registration procedures and to assess the relationship between product registration and drinking water quality in Accra, Ghana. Following preliminary analysis of a national water quality survey, 118 packaged sachet water samples were collected by sampling all brands sold by 66 vendors. A sample of vendors was selected from two high-income and two low-income areas of Accra, Ghana. Sachet packaging and labelling details were recorded and compared to a regulatory database to assess product registration. All samples were weighed and tested for faecal indicator bacteria and selected physico-chemical parameters. Product registration numbers and brand names could be matched to regulatory records for 77 of 118 sachets (65.2%). All samples tested were compliant with national water quality standards for faecal indicator bacteria and nitrate. Brand registration was not associated with any of the quality indicators considered. The results of this study suggest that while a substantial proportion of sachet water is sold without formal product registration, the microbial quality of the unlicensed water is consistently high in Accra, Ghana. Further examination of regulatory enforcement and monitoring will be needed to ensure sustained high water quality over time.

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